Mike Tee

Col, its your boat and I applaud your attempts to sort out your battery problems via this forum. All I can say is that if I were in your position now, before spending any money on more equipment / batteries, I'd call in the man who helped me maintain 3 different boats over about 15 years. Servicing, engine diagnostics, gear box repairs and battery installation - he's not cheap, but he is good. Mobile Marine Engineer Tel: 07941 048847 Specialising in diesel engine service and repair. Operating on the Grand Union, Oxford andThames. Ed. Boden

People who commit knife crime couldn't care less whether its legal or not to carry the knives they do.People who are generally law abiding only carry what is legal, and don't feel the urge to stick it in anybody. As I mentioned before, I regularly carry a small (very sharp) non- lock blade pocket knife. This is just as lethal as the small lock blade that Tree Monkey carries. Neither of us intend hurting anybody but he's the one breaking the law - the law is an ass. eta - I have no idea how a blank quote from BWM appeared in my post!!!

The U2 is an excellent knife, if a little expensive - sizewise it makes a perfect pocket knife if it were not for the stupid UK laws eta - you can kill somebody with a sharp pencil, but they allow children to play with them!!!

That’s very nice. my fixed blade, which now sits in the kitchen is a Fallkniven F1 - this replaced a Buck lock blade which I carried for years until one of my lads was cutting up a big zebu (huge cow with a bad attitude) and caught the tip in a bone joint and snapped off about 1/2 inch, too much to really grind back. I find the Fallniven really has a blade that’s too thick for domestic use but couldn’t part with it.

I'll stick with my DoukDouk - cheap(ish), simple design and holds an edge well

Good job you were not wearing high heels - a stiletto heel (apparently) makes a fearsome weapon!!!

Sod's law dictates that when you need a sharp knife in a hurry, you will be on the bank / around a lock / mooring and by the time you have gone back to the boat for a knife its too late - classic is a novice who has tied up his boat in a lock and then empties it. When that rope is stretched by multiple tons of boat, the only way to loose it is a sharp blade.

Under 3" I hope - hate to see you having a holiday at Her Majestys Pleasure!!!!!! Although, on a more serious note, I've carried a knife for well over 50 years, never been tempted to hurt anybody with it, (thats despite working for many years in many of the so-called 'dangerous countrys) and although my present knife is under 3" no doubt a copper could find some way to say I carry an illegal dangerous weapon. And I reckon I use it every day.

Then he wouldn’t need to leave

Yes, but is it vibration proof when hung with heavy tiles?

Maybe they did but could only afford a cheap knock-off chinese one................

Have spent the afternoon scouring '3' website reading all the small print. Looks like they have worked out that if you were on 24/7 you'd use 1000 watnots, so they limit the use to 1000. So as long as you have data left on your account, it can be tethered, and with no realistic limit, it really is limitless for personal use. Think I might keep the present setup and sign up for a month and see how it goes - sod's law tells me it will go well except this offer will not be there when I eventually decide it is for me!!!

Thanks, think I might give this a go - saving around £200 a year seems worth it!

Being of a certain age, all the modern phrases etc become a little blurred. On the '3' website, they offer a 12 month phone contract with unlimited data for £27/month. This also includes a 'personal hotspot' - is this the same as tethering? Can I ditch the landline and use this to run two computers and the ipad? (Assuming the signal at home is good enough).

Going back to the original question, if you are moving walls, I would suggest you build the new ones the same as every other boat I've been on - not with plasterboard of any kind, but use marine ply and seal it with PVA then tiles or preferably with a product called 'WetWall' or similar.